A large number of residential and commercial fires originate in the kitchen during cooking. The stove top burner is a common source for ignition of these fires, for example, as overheated cooking oils or greases can easily ignite. The risks of a fire igniting are significantly higher during unattended use of a stove or range oven. One way to reduce damage of a fire caused by a stovetop burner is to shut off the power to the burner when the fire starts. However, if no one is present, the stove or burner cannot be manually shut off.